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Government – The Republic<br />
TEACHERS<br />
N OTE<br />
Rule of the Republic by consuls and the senate lasted for nearly 500 years. Originally the senate had 100 members<br />
but this grew to 600 by the first century BC. Senators usually held positions for life and as senators, consuls and<br />
generals came from a small group of wealthy families power was in the hands of a few, i.e. government by an<br />
oligarchy.<br />
After their year in office consuls could become proconsuls—governors in the provinces, the conquered countries<br />
of the Empire. Both consuls had to agree before something could be carried out so if one consul said ‘veto’ (I<br />
forbid) the idea was dropped.<br />
The patricians claimed that their ancestry gave them the right to rule. Even if a plebeian was as rich as a<br />
patrician he was unable to hold a high position in the government structure. In the third century BC it was<br />
decided that one of the consuls should be a plebeian. Eventually the struggles for power between supporters of<br />
the senate and the people’s assembly led to bloody civil war.<br />
Viewing Sample<br />
Purple was the colour worn by people who held important positions.<br />
The coastal waters of ancient Phoenicia contained two kinds of shellfish whose bodies contained sacs of yellowy<br />
fluid which turned purple when exposed to light. The city of Tyre was famous for the quality of its purple dye<br />
made from the shellfish. Archaeologists have found thousands of empty shells in ancient dye pits near the site of<br />
ancient Tyre. Today the shellfish are almost extinct around the coast of modern Lebanon.<br />
Suggested Activity<br />
The children could discuss the point that Roman women should have had the right to vote and not have<br />
been reduced to the same status as a slave.<br />
– 26 – <strong>Ancient</strong> <strong>Rome</strong> Prim-Ed Publishing www.prim-ed.com